Football helmet



T; J. HARTMAN Jan. 12 1926.

FOOTBALL HELMET Filed Feb, 1o, 1922 2 sheets-snm, 2

Patented Jan. l2, 1926.

UNITED STATES THOMAS J. HARTMAN, OF CHCAGO, ILLINOIS.

Foo'rnnLL HELMET.

Application filed February 10, 1922. `Serial No. 535,526.

To all fr0/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. HARTMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Football Helmets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvement-s in football helmets, and has for its main object to provide a helmet with a pliable inner lining placed a distance inward from the crownpiece, whereby localized pressure or bumps against any part of the crownpiece will be gradually distributed over the head.

Another object is to provide additional reenforcing straps extending diagonally over the front of the helmet.

And another object is to provide the rear pads with additional reenforcing means.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts her'einafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the football helmet,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the helmet,

Fig. B is a vertical sectional view taken on line of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. e is a horizontal sectional view taken on line l-l of Fig. 1, looking up into the helmet, in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on line of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The helmet illustrated comprises a leather crownpiece 10 which has a leather cross strap 11 fastened thereover, the ends of which are connected to the ear pads 12, also a longitudinal leather strap 13 fastened over the crownpiece and over the cross strap, and having` its ends connected to the front shield 1land rear shield 15. The rear shield is made integral with the ear pads 12 but the front shield is made separate therefrom and is connected Vthereto by means of two elastic si rips 16, cnablino` the front shield to move away from the ear pads, thus adapting the helmet to various sized heads. The connecting means for fastening the parts together and forward part of the helmet, consists of a pliable lining 18, preferably composed of leather, positioned a short distance inward of the crownpieca'the lower edges of said lining and crownpiece being stitched together, and a space being thereby formed between said lining and crownpiece, as best shown in Fig. 3. Ventilating openings 19 are provided in the crownpiece, and corresponding Ventilating openings 2O are provided in the pliable lining. With this form of inner lining 18, and especially with the assistance of the additional reenforcingV straps 17, any bumps or knocks on the forward portion of the crownpiece are evenly distributed over the head and are entirely prevented from producing a localized effect on the head, thus greatly increasing the usefulness of this helmet over the ordinary forms.

The ear pads 12 are each provided with a central sound opening 21, and surrounding sound and Ventilating openings 22. A fastening strap 23 has one end attached to one of the ear pads and is passed through an opening 24: in the other ear pad, having a slotted piece of leather 25 fastened to its other end, through the slots of which the strap is movably adjustable. A felt padding 2G is stitched on the inside of the ear pads, and extends around the inner side of the rear shield 15, while a similar felt padding 27 is placed in the front shield lll and a soft lining 28 is placed over the inside of said padding 27, as best shown in Fig. 5. I provide the ear pads with stilfening and strengthening means in the form of a stiff or substantially rigid layer of libre 29, fastened between the inner cushioning layer of felt 26 and the outer covering layer of leather 12 to assist the layer of leather to retain its desired outward curved form, in

spite of severe local pressure broughtagainst any part of the ear pad. Y

It is thus evident that l have produced a particularly strongvand, comfortable foot` ball helmet by the use of a complete' pliable inner lining placed ata distance inward from the u i ver )ortion of the-crown iece and'bvk the use, in addition thereto, of thediagonal reenforcing straps with the customary lateral and. longitudinal straps fastened upon the outside of the crovvnpiece, have provided the helmet vitli means for distributing evenly over the head any localizedy pressure brought aganst the crovvnpiece; and I also provide the helmet with especially strong and desirable ear pads by the use of the additional intermediate reenforcing layers of stiff i'ibre. i

l/Vhile l have illustratedand described the preferred form of construction .forf'carrying my invention into effect7 this is capable of variation and modiiication Without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. I, tliereforevdo not Wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth,.but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

i ters Patent is l. .AV footballhelmet having a crmvnpiece providedXvitli'Iate'ial', longitudinal and diagonaly .stiff reenforcing straps fastened thereonfa perforated pliable leather lining extended-over-thefentre head and fastened to .the inner edge of the croivnpiece, there being a space provided betweenv saidcrovvn'- pieee 'and liningfto distribute localized pressure evenly over the-'headgrand ear pads fastened tol Said' crownpiece` by `means of said lateral reenforcingfstraps.' f

Q. A 'football helmet having a crownpiece providedy with lateral, longitudinal and diagonal stili" reenforcing straps fastenedf thereon, a perforated pliable' leather lining extending over the entire heady and being fastened to the innerv'edgef of the crownpieee, therebeing a-space provided betvveen said crownpieee and" lining', andf ear pads. fastened-to saidl orownpieceiby means off certain: of saidv reinforcing straps.-

fn testimony whereof I have signed my naine k'to i this i specification.

THoMAsLJ'. HARTMAN, 

